


One Last Moment

by Alyce013



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Gen, Loss, Pandemics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23959519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyce013/pseuds/Alyce013
Summary: Hyungwon has to take the hardest step of his life.
Kudos: 3





	One Last Moment

Hyungwon sat in a chair outside a quarantine area, head hung low. He stared at the dull color of the hospital floor, watching the sunlight reflect off of it, and waiting patiently. Too many things ran through his mind as he clutched at the unopened envelope in his hands.  
This had all started a few years ago. It was a mutation, giving birth to the panic and frenzy of present day. The mutation started off slowly, hiding in plain sight. It spread through a touch. It infected the first woman, killing her a week and a half later. The doctor blamed it on pregnancy complications and didn't look much further into it. Unfortunately, before her untimely death that woman had touched someone, who touched someone else, who touched someone else, and so on and so forth. It only affected and killed pregnant women and children ten and younger, everyone else infected was just a carrier. So far there was no cure.

"Sir?" A nurse in cute, childish scrubs waved him over. He looked up through the window, avoiding eye contact, to see ten crows sitting in a tree.

"How long do I have?" He asked, following her into the visitation area.

"As long as you'd like. We try not to impose time restrictions." She answered, sitting him down in a chair on one side of a solid wall of plexiglass.

"Thank you." Hyungwon felt close to tears, but he swallowed them down. He was afraid if he let himself cry now, he wouldn't be able to stop. He didn't want the last time to entirely be a sad memory.  
A loud squeal of delight shocked Hyungwon out of his thoughts as he his head and eyes snapped up to meet his son's. A large smile spread across his face as he masked the sharp pain that went through his heart. He needed to be brave.

"Daddy! I miss you so much!" His son yelled in excitement, doing a childish, happy dance. He ran right past the chair they set out for him, straight for the plexiglass and plopped down on the floor.

"I miss you too, Alex. So very much." Hyungwon abandoned the chair and instead was sitting on the floor as close to the plexiglass as possible. Alex put a small hand against the barrier between them and Hyungwon fondly put his hand exactly opposite his son's. He swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing down all other thoughts about the real world outside this room. He wanted this moment to never end.

"My hands are almost as big as yours." Alex proclaimed proudly. He adjusted his hand to size it from his father's palm at first and then the tips of his fingers. Hyungwon genuinely smiled at how adorable it was to see how determined Alex was to get their hands to match.

"Almost, precious. How's everything going in there? Are they being nice to you?" Hyungwon asked sweetly, trying hard to keep a level, curious tone. He wanted to make sure Alex was happy and treated well without scaring him too much.

"Its amazing! I even made a friend. Her name is Sarah. She's really fun to play with. We share toys a lot. Everyone has been so nice and they let me color whenever I want." Alex continued to explain how his stay in the quarantine area was going as Hyungwon only clutched harder at the envelope in his hand. He didn't know how he was going to do this and the longer he stayed as close as he could ever get to his son again, the harder it was going to be.  
They sat on either side of the plexiglass barrier, hands never leaving their spot from earlier as if they were holding hands through the plexiglass. Hyungwon talked about what was going on with him in terms that a five year old could comprehend, and listened intently when Alex had a question or cute advice. Time passed quickly and Hyungwon glanced out the window at a dark sky. A shot of panic went through his heart, it started to beat so fast it felt like it would burst out of his chest. He didn't want this to end so quickly. He wanted reach through the plexiglass to pull Alex into his arms, hold him, and never let him go.

"Daddy? Are you coming in here with me? I miss you! It's fun. I promise." Alex's words and earnest face made Hyungwon's heart start to crack and tears start in the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away quickly, hoping Alex didn't see them.

"I can't, precious." Hyungwon choked out shakily. The time had come way to quickly. He wasn't ready for this, but he knew he would never honestly be ready.

"Why? It really is nice in here. All the people are so nice. I promise. " Alex whined, pouting so heartbreakingly cute.

"I believe you. I do. I would give anything be in there with you, precious boy." Hyungwon tried so hard not to let Alex's sad face effect him. His only child was being ripped out of his life and it felt like he was being torn to shreds in the process. He had prayed, begged, pleaded with every God or deity he could think of to be able to shower Alex with all the love and adoration humanly possible, but here he was still forced to break both their hearts.

"Why can't you?" Alex's simple question and newly forming tears falling down his face finally crushed the last bit of Hyungwon's resolve.

"I'm infected." Hyungwon confessed as his own tears started to freely fall. "I love you so much Alexander...so, so much." He clung to the plexiglass as Alex backed away from it slightly, dropping his hand from his father's.

"I don't care! I miss you!" Alex started throwing a small tantrum. "Daddy, please!"

"Im so sorry my precious boy. I'm so, so sorry." Hyungwon had broken down completely in tears, his apologetic works only audible between muffled sobs.

"Daddy! Please! I'll be good! I promise!" Alex stomped his feet and cried. Hyungwon's heart shattered completely knowing how trapped he was. It was destroying him to know his precious little boy would grow up without him.  
He clung to the plexiglass watching the temper tantrum he could do absolutely nothing to soothe him. He would never be able to soothe a temper tantrum ever again. He would never be able to wipe his tears, or kiss his forehead to take a temperature, or see Alex's adorable smile that reminded him of his mother's.

"Please be good. Be good and live a long, happy life. I'm so sorry, precious, but you can't have that life with me. I'm so sorry. I love you, Alex. Always remember that! Please! always remember that! I love you!" Hyungwon's words got more frantic as he noticed a nurse entering the room behind Alex to take him away. He tried to burn every detail of his precious little boy into his mind, knowing this would be the last time he would see him.

"No! Please, daddy! Please stay with me! Please!" Alex screamed as he noticed the nurse. He ran back to the plexiglass, pressing his entire body against it as he begged. Hyungwon sobbed harder watching, pulling his hands away. He wrapped his arms around himself as he watched his son struggle to escape from the nurse to get back to him. Alex kicked, screamed, and pleaded for his father's presence as he disappeared. Hyungwon collapsed, laying on the floor defeated and destroyed as tears fell freely down his face. No one disturbed him, except to drape a blanket over him, even after he cried himself to sleep on the cold, hard hospital floor.  
Hyungwon woke up when the morning light glared through from the window. He felt completely empty and hollowed out, the dried tears on his face now crusted to his cheeks. He sat up slowly, looking at the now dark and empty room beyond the plexiglass. The room that had ripped his heart and soul out of him forever. He picked himself up off the ground, grabbing the envelope that had slipped out of his hand while he slept as he stood. Hyungwon walked out, ignoring everyone and everything on his way to his car. He threw himself into the drivers seat and finally opened the envelope taking out the crumpled check inside. It was compensation, but no amount of money could ever replace the feeling of holding Alex in his arms or being able to see his sweet boy grow into a strong man.  
Hyungwon threw the check onto his passenger seat in anger, staring out his windshield to watch as ten crows that had been following him around flew off into the distance.


End file.
